Tradition / Region: Japan (Edo period)
Alternate Names: Raschamen
Category: Sheep
The Myth
Rashamen was the name used for sheep brought to Japan by overseas ships. Because sheep were unfamiliar, people associated them with foreigners, and the name was said to come from rasha, the woolen clothing worn by Westerners.
In 1776, during the An’ei era, an animal called a raschamen was exhibited as a public spectacle in the districts of Ryōgoku and Asakusa in Edo. People paid to see it as a rare and strange creature from abroad. The animal on display was a sheep, with paint smeared over its body to make it look more unusual.
The spectacle became widely known. The sheep was taken around and shown to crowds, presented as something exotic rather than as an ordinary animal.
The event was later mentioned by Hiraga Gennai in his work Hoheiron Kohen, where he described the rashamen performance and noted that it was simply a painted sheep being displayed to the public.